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“A crisis desk is a must for the economy”
Parliament discussed Covid-19 situation. Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman asked, “We implemented a lockdown but have we fulfilled its purpose? He said the government had constantly changed decisions during this period, shaking the trust and confidence of the public.
- Prime Minister Ersin Tatar: “We too are humans. We couldn’t see the wave coming” – Tatar said there were 5000 kits with more on the way. “13,000 people arrived and 45,000 people left during this period. We allocated ₺30m (€3.9m) for the fight against coronavirus,” he said.
- Shocking statements from Health Minister Ali Pilli: “Unfortunately we have no cases today”
- Where have all these supplies been used? – Health Ministry Undersecretary Ali Çaygur said that 195,000 gloves, 7200 N95 masks, 22,700 overshoes and 7768 gowns had been used. 25,000 of the 195,000 gloves went to the general hospital in Nicosia alone. He added that a company asked for 15 tones of hand sanitizer but it was turned down. “We asked to whom they were going to sell it as they couldn’t sell all of it in the country,” Çaygur said, reassuring everyone that there was no theft, just excessive use of supplies.
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We are depressed
More and more people are experiencing psychological problems due to the lockdown and the stay-home curfew. The ‘Covid-19 counselling help-line’, which was established by the health ministry, received 800 calls in the first 12 days.
- The parliament’s agenda was “coronavirus” – The opposition parties criticised the cabinet on the management of the coronavirus crisis and made suggestions and proposals. The members of the cabinet provided information on their efforts.
- The coronavirus bans eased traffic – The partial curfew has resulted in empty streets and no traffic congestions. There is also a serious decrease in the number of traffic accidents.
- “I have postponed my resignation” – The Deputy Chief Physician Dr Sonuç Büyük rejected allegations that medical supplies were disappearing. He also said he has postponed his resignation and said: “I am back at my desk.”
Thousands of medical supplies have disappeared
A medical worker, speaking to Havadis, said large quantities of medical supplies have gone missing from the depot at the pandemic hospital. The same worker also claimed the hospital administration came to the verge of resigning as a result of the incident. According to the claim made by the worker, 25,000 medical masks, 7,200 N95 type masks, 10,000 overshoes, 130,000 surgical gloves, 3,250 gowns, 100 face masks, 450 face visors and 48 litres of disinfectant went missing in just a week. The Turkish government questioned the Turkish Cypriot Health Ministry on where the medical supplies went. According to the claim, the Deputy Chief Physician Dr Sonuç Büyük had submitted his resignation over the incident. Dr Büyük, however, rejected the allegations stating he has not resigned yet.
- Gowns and masks went transit – Dr Sibel Siber, head of the Covid-19 Coordination Council, said some of the importer companies that had imported a million masks and gowns before the pandemic then sold them elsewhere.
- The latest situation: North 108 cases four deaths; South 784 cases 12 deaths; Turkey 95,591 cases 2,259 deaths.
Let’s see what’s going to happen?
Some banks have not carried out procedures in line with the government’s decision to pay private-sector employees ₺1,500 (€200). The issue will be discussed at today’s (Wednesday) cabinet meeting. It was reported that local İktisat Bank and Turkish banks have not harmonized their operations with the system and that individuals with their accounts in these banks experienced difficulty applying for the scheme.
- We’ve hit rock bottom – Local flower and plant grower Necip Güryeler says he is dumping 20,000 flowers weekly because of the coronavirus lockdown.
Masked
The parliament held its first masked meeting…All MPs who attended the session wore face masks and adhered to the social distancing rule. The political party leaders were given 15 minutes to address the plenary and other MPs five minutes each.
- No new cases in the north, 11 new cases in the south – Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli said 317 tests were carried out on Tuesday. 11 cases were identified in the south as a result of the 893 tests carried out. The total number of cases on the island reached 892.
- The claims on pillaging the hospital are not true – The Deputy Chief Physician Dr Sonuç Büyük rejected allegations and said all the equipment is where they should be and under record. He also said his attempted resignation had nothing to do with the allegations. “I am back at my desk,” Büyük said.
Main News
No new cases in the north for third consecutive day
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalogi Afrika
Internal Security
OVERVIEW
No new case of coronavirus was announced in the north on Tuesday, making it the third consecutive day no new cases were reported.
Turkish Cypriot Health Minister Ali Pilli, addressing parliament on Tuesday night, said that 317 tests were carried out on Tuesday, bringing the total number of tests to 6879.
The total number of cases stands at 108.
Pilli said that the island and the world were facing a crisis never witnessed before.
He added that even the most developed countries were struggling to contain the virus.
Pilli said that the north had started preparing against the virus before the pandemic had been announced on March 11.
“48 beds at the Dr Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital have been prepped with ICU equipment and an additional 136 beds have been set up at a quarantine centre at one of the wings of the hospital,” Pilli said.
He also pointed out that 3084 people had been kept in home isolation, 1834 people in quarantine facilities under the observation of the state.
There are still 510 people being kept in quarantine, Pilli added.
Pilli announced they had acquired 54 ventilators and 40 more were expected to be sent by the European Union (EU).
“We aim to have 150 respiratory devices,” he said, adding that the EU was donating 5000 PCR kits.
The health minister said that they had 4000 PCR kits and 3000 rapid kits at hand.
In a separate development on Tuesday, the health ministry and general hospital in Nicosia was rocked with allegations that large quantities of medical supplies had disappeared.
A medical worker alleged that rare medical supplies such as medical masks, overshoes, surgical gowns and other equipment vital in the treatment of Covid-19 patients had gone missing from the hospital depots.
There were also reports that the Deputy Chief Physician Sonuç Büyük and hospital administration had come to the verge of resigning as a result of the incident.
Büyük later denied allegations that he was planning to resign.
According to a claim made by a healthcare worker, 25,000 medical masks, 7,200 N95 type masks, 10,000 overshoes, 130,000 surgical gloves, 3,250 gowns, 100 face masks, 450 face visors and 48 litres of disinfectant went missing in just a week.
It was also reported that Ankara, which sends the supplies, questioned the Turkish Cypriot Health Ministry on what happened to the medical supplies.
Health Ministry Undersecretary Ali Çaygur who commented on the incident announced the figures on record.
He said that 195,000 gloves, 7,200 N95 masks, 22,700 overshoes and 7768 gowns had been used.
He added that 25,000 of the 195,000 gloves had been sent to the general hospital in Nicosia alone.
Çaygur reassured everyone that there was no theft, just and excessive use of supplies.
In the meantime, the Turkish Cypriot Education Minister Nazım Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday reassured families that final year primary and high school students will graduate.
Çavuşoğlu, speaking in parliament, said that second and third phase of entrance examinations for secondary schools will go ahead.
“Students preparing to sit the exams will be given a 30-day notice before the dates the exams will be held,” he said.
Çavuşoğlu also defended the decision to shut down schools on March 10, stating that they had prevented 200,000 thousand teachers and pupils from actively coming into contact.
“However, when and how schools will be opened will be decided by the Science Council,” he said, adding that over 43,000 students had been resuming their education through distance learning.
As for students planning to go abroad for university, he said they were in contact with relevant educational institutions and bodies.
“Let everyone be assured that we will address the problems experienced by the students,” Çavuşoğlu added.
“The overall course of the coronavirus pandemic in the north is good but what’s important is to be able to sustain the same horizontal trend,” Sibel Siber told Kıbrıs Postası web TV on Tuesday.
Head of the Covid-19 Coordination Council Siber said all efforts now should be directed at detecting asymptomatic or ‘ghost’ patients.
“We have to carry out more tests and screening to determine asymptomatic cases wandering within the community,” Siber stressed.
She said it had not been able to draw a clear picture of the situation in the north adding that both PCR tests and ‘rapid’ tests were valuable in identifying cases.
Responding to criticisms on the cabinet’s crisis management, Siber urged the opposition parties to refrain from criticizing the cabinet with political intentions.
“It must not be forgotten no one in the world has ever witnessed a pandemic at this scale before thus all efforts are directed at research and treatments,” Siber concluded.
The Universal Patients’ Rights Association highlighted the importance of equality in access to health services in the north on Tuesday.
In a written statement, the association noted the residents of the five nursing homes in the north are most vulnerable to the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The state is responsible to provide equal conditions and access to all in the coronavirus pandemic process including the elder members of the community,” the statement said.
The statement also pointed out that the residents of the old-folks’ home who visit the hospital regularly could not be isolated upon their return to the facilities.
“Due to lack of availability of separate location for isolation, the residents are faced with the threat of infecting each other when they return from their hospital visit,” the statement read.
The statement is concluded by urging the authorities to implement the necessary health measures at nursing homes.
In a separate development on Tuesday, the Turkish Cypriot Mukhtar of Pile (Pyla) Veysal Güden drew attention to the plight of Turkish Cypriot residents of the mixed village.
Güden recalled the Beyarmudu (Pergamos) crossing point had been closed in efforts to contain the spread of the virus but the authorities did not even consider the problems the move would cause for residents.
“Nearly one hundred households could not access their salaries. They had to receive food supplies. Then the Beyarmudu (Pergamos) mayor assisted with the village cooperative to pay the salaries. GSM operators also assisted the residents and solved their internet problems,” Güden noted.
Güden continued stating that despite their repeated requests, the authorities did not establish a dispensary in the area.
“The only ambulance the residents have access to is the one in Akdoğan (Lysi),” Güden said, giving the example of a recent case where a small girl which required medical assistance had experienced complications after a delay in obtaining the necessary permit to cross.
The British Sovereign Base authorities granted the permit immediately but the Turkish Cypriot health ministry responded very late, resulting in the outrage of the family.
Meanwhile, police reported on Tuesday that 85 people had been booked overnight for violating the partial and night-time curfews between Monday night and Sunday morning.
Opposition blasts coalition over its handling of Covid-19 crisis
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security, Economy
OVERVIEW
The government came under a barrage of criticisms from the opposition on Tuesday as party leaders and MPs bombarded the coalition on its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Turkish Cypriot parliament convened on Tuesday for the first time in weeks for an extraordinary session to discuss the latest situation concerning the coronavirus pandemic.
MPs attending the session were seated apart, all wearing masks and gloves.
Parliament had last convened on March 19 to vote on postponing the presidential elections in the north.
The leader of the Rebirth Party (YDP) Erhan Arıklı, the first to address the session, criticized the government for mismanaging the crisis.
Arıklı said the cabinet’s undecidedness on where to set up a pandemic hospital, its contradictory statements such as plans to build a new hospital in 45 days had only deepened the public’s lack of trust in the authorities.
On the economy, he criticized the government’s decision to extend the grace period for paying out cheques as well as excluding third-country nationals from the support scheme.
“The government has seized the social security and provident fund deposits of third-country nationals working in the country, he said, arguing that the economic package will be a fiasco if it doesn’t receive the public’s support.
“You have one eye fixed on the public’s money and the other on the money you are hoping will arrive from Turkey,” he said.
The YDP leader also questioned how the prices of testing kits used in Famagusta might have been cheaper than the testing kits used in Nicosia.
Arıklı also accused President Akıncı, the Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar and Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay of acting with an agenda for the upcoming elections.
He gave the example of the separate committees established by Akıncı and Tatar which was causing confusion and discord.
Arıklı also criticized the government’s failure to reduce electricity prices despite the drop in global oil prices and for not releasing enough inmates on conditional terms.
The leader of the Democratic Party (DP) Fikri Ataoğlu accused the that the government of abusing the opposition’s goodwill as well as not being transparent.
He also accused the government of pursuing a political agenda throughout the whole crisis.
“The public’s expectation during this period was not political bickering but a communal or social consensus,” he said.
Ataoğlu said the cabinet had adopted decisions almost daily since March 14, only to change the very same decisions it adopted a day earlier.
The DP leader also slammed the government’s position regarding the creation of a pandemic hospital, warning that precious time was being wasted.
Regarding the economy, Ataoğlu said that employees working in open businesses and their families needed to be tested.
He argued that the ₺1,500 (€200) payment support scheme fell short of addressing peoples’ needs or was properly planned.
“The people would have been on the streets protesting the government had it not been for the street curfews in place,” Ataoğlu argued.
He also said the government needed to be included and consulted more on decisions taken.
Ataoğlu concluded by criticizing the government’s decision to slash state contributions to local administrations.
Cemal Özyiğit, leader of the Social Democratic Party (TDP) claimed that the system had collapsed, crushing the Turkish Cypriot community.
He underlined the need to create a new system with reforms as well to start discussions on a new constitution.
Özyiğit said that the government had also ignored their calls for the creation of a crisis desk from day one.
“We still don’t know where the pandemic hospital will be set up. Had a state-of-emergency been announced we could have converted a private hospital into a pandemic hospital,” he said.
Özyiğit criticized the government’s austerity measures as well, arguing that the government had been shy about demanding more from the banks and the wealthy.
“Instead the government chose to reach into the pockets of workers and those with lower incomes. This is unacceptable,” he said.
The TDP leader also questioned what the government was planning to do in regards to education and schools.
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman also slammed the government, claiming that the government had lost the trust and confidence of the public.
“The government has no plan or program. This is not how you manage a crisis,” Erhürman stressed.
He said the government’s lockdown decision was the right move but that time gained had been squandered.
“We should have used this time to stock up on supplies, carry out more tests and to prepare our pandemic hospital. We shut down everywhere but have we fulfilled the purpose of the lockdown? he asked.
Erhürman repeated that the government should create additional revenues to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the economy.
The CTP leader said that it was wrong to establish some many different advisory boards or committees.
“There are too many voices, too many contradicting opinions. That is why we need one central coordination unit,” he argued.
Erhürman added that his party was prepared to work together with the government in any possible way.
Responding to the criticisms, Turkish Cypriot Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay admitted that the government may have made some mistakes along the way.
“We may have made contradicting moves, mistakes or may have not addressed issues sufficiently,” Özersay said but added that the cabinet had not insisted on continuing its mistakes or on its shortcomings.
“We are well aware of the seriousness of the situation. But we need to be calm. We must refrain from statements that will create panic among the public,” Özersay said.
He said he did not agree with the view that there was no planning as all relevant bodies were working on determining the steps forward.
Özersay responding to a question by CTP MP Doğuş Derya as to why a decision had been taken to restrict entry of diplomatic corps and United Nations Peacekeepers into the north, said the virus did not discriminate.
He said the decision had been taken after some UN peacekeepers tested positive for the virus.
Özersay also said that this issue of a Greek Cypriot family wishing to cross over to the north to their permanent place of residence will be discussed at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.
“We will most probably allow them to cross over but they will need to remain in quarantine for 14 days,” he said.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar was less willing to accept the criticisms directed against his administration.
While admitting that the government had been blindsided by the crisis, he defended the steps taken, arguing that they were doing their best to take the right steps at the right time.
Tatar said that it was only normal to change decisions from time to time to address the changing situation.
He also said that none of the decisions taken was politically motivated.
“We are consulting experts in the field. It seems that the curve remains flat but this should not encourage complacency. The government has taken the right decisions at the right time and we are doing quite well,” Tatar added.
He argued that under the circumstances and the country’s limited resources, it was a success for having weathered such a massive crisis without total collapse.
Tatar responding to criticisms on the government’s failure to establish a separate pandemic hospital said that the accusations were not true.
“We can treat 200 patients at the same time. It’s not like we have not made any preparations,” he stressed. Tatar also said that the government had allocated ₺30m (€3.9m) to be used in the fight against coronavirus.
Efforts underway to resuscitate tourism in the north
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs Postası, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Afrika
Internal Security, Economy
OVERVIEW
It was announced on Tuesday that efforts are underway to plan to resuscitate the tourism sector which is among the worst-hit sectors in the north.
“We are working on an action plan to open the tourism sector in a controlled fashion soon,” Turkish Cypriot tourism minister Ünal Üstel said on Tuesday.
In a statement issued to mark the “Tourism Week”, Üstel added the action plan will have a comprehensive approach covering from early warning system for the tour guides to ensuring hotel guests’ safety and health during their stay.
“The action plan will be made up of three stages including the arrival of the tourists, tour programs for the tourists and their hotel stays. We have to make sure the necessary health measures must be in place in all three to make it through 2020 with the lowest possible losses,” Üstel noted.
He added the plan will be shared with the sector representatives in the coming days.
On the other hand, tourism representatives expressed their view for the road ahead during a Kıbrıs Postası web TV programme on Monday evening.
Speaking during the programme, head of Turkish Cypriot hoteliers’ association Dimağ Çağıner pointed to the severity and the global scale of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
He underlined the importance of taking calculated and planned steps for the future.
Süleyman Kansu, general manager of Salamis Hotel in Famagusta said the sector needed to start from scratch.
“It is vital for the authorities to adopt measures to safeguard the future of the tourism sector,” Kansu added.
General Manager of Denizkızı Hotel, Niyazi Beydağlı pointed out the future of the tourism sector was full of uncertainties and noted the hoteliers were trying to follow the developments in other countries with similar size hotels.
“The hotels will first focus on the domestic market and there will be a stage-by-stage opening of hotel facilities,” Beydağlı said.
He also argued that tourists might prefer a ‘bungalow’ type of accommodation in the coming period to feel safer.
Owner of the Manolya Hotel Mehmet Dolmacı pointed to the importance of planning for the future of the sector.
“There should be a two-prong approach to tourism.
The first should focus on increasing tourism revenues and the second should approach should ensure the production of whatever is consumed at the hotels.
It is important for the tourism sector and the authorities to focus on these issues,” Dolmacı said.
The other sector that suffered the worst along with the tourism sector is the higher education sector.
In this regard, the Cyprus Universities’ Association (KÜB) held high-level visits to the members of the cabinet on Tuesday.
In a statement issued, KÜB noted the objective of the visits was to exchange ideas on the future of the higher education sector and to jointly develop new initiatives.
“80 per cent of the students in the north are from Turkey and third countries,” KÜB stated.
He added, “It is unavoidable that the higher education sector will shrink due to the crisis which will also affect the other sectors.”
KÜB, which represents 14 out of 18 universities in the north, also asked the cabinet members to include the higher-education sector in the salary support scheme announced by the cabinet.
In another development, GİAD (Turkish Cypriot Young Businesspersons’ Association) continued to slam the cabinet over its economic decisions and measures on Tuesday.
In a statement issued by GİAD, head of the association Uğur Ergün argued the cabinet instead of utilising the PCR testing equipment available at the two universities in the north, procured new ones thus making unnecessary expenditures.
Inviting the cabinet to announce its economic plans for the north, Ergün said: “In the process leading to a total economic collapse, we as the private sector employers and the employees are very curious to hear what the cabinet’s plans are…”
Ergün also criticized the cabinet’s “salary support scheme” and argued the cabinet has imposed a lower payment scheme of ₺1500 (€200) whilst the workers would have been entitled to receive ₺2620 (€350) as unemployment pay under the social security law.
Ergün also slammed the cabinet for not attempting to tackle the grey economy during the economic crisis to generate revenues and collect due taxes and put the economic system in order.
In another development, Hür-İş (Turkish Cypriot Independent Workers’ Unions’ Federation) Deputy Chairman Ahmet Serdaroğlu demanded that KIBTEK (Turkish Cypriot Electricity Authority) lower electricity prices at least by 40 per cent in line with the drop in global oil prices.
In a statement, Serdaroğlu noted KIBTEK could implement the reduction on prices when its current fuel oil stocks were depleted.
Serdaroğlu also touched on KIBTEK’s existing agreement with AKSA private power plant which comes with a purchasing guarantee based on US dollars.
“Despite the ₺2.5m (€330,000) donation, which was nothing but cheap advertising, the existing agreement with AKSA must be revoked immediately and quoting the extraordinary situation created by the coronavirus pandemic,” Serdaroğlu argued.
He added that the revenues to be obtained by the KIBTEK, as a result, should also be reflected on consumers’ electricity bills.
France erodes solution dynamics in Cyprus
Kıbrıs Postası
Negotiations Process, Regional/International Relations
OVERVIEW
“France not only disregards the Turkish Cypriots’ rights on the island but also tries to impose sanctions on Turkey,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said on Tuesday.
Aksoy, responding to a question on the remarks given by the French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to the French daily Le Monde, claimed that it was France that harmed the solution dynamics in Cyprus.
Aksoy also argued that the French minister was trying to cover his country’s desperate and helpless situation amid the coronavirus pandemic by attacking Turkey.
“It appears that the help extended by Turkey during these dark times as a true friend has created discomfort in France who could not help its European neighbours during their most difficult days,” he said.
Aksoy added that France eroded the solution dynamics in Cyprus and persistently ignored the rights of the Turkish Cypriots while trying to implement sanctions on its ally, Turkey.
Our recommendation to France is to focus primarily on maintaining the health of the French and European people and relieving their wounds in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.
French Government, by pulling away from its ambition for competition, must give up seeing Turkey as a threat for Europe’s welfare and security,” Aksoy concluded.
KEY ACTORS
Aksoy (Turkey)
>> France disregards TCs rights in Cyprus & tries to impose sanctions on Turkey.
>> France has eroded solution dynamics in Cyprus.